Strategic Tip
#2: DO commit to be and be a
rapport builder. High visibility people develop rapport with
almost every individual with whom they come in contact. Highly
visible people are communication builders....
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Marriage management skills:
"A good marriage would be between a blind
wife and a deaf husband." – Montaigne... More

Attitude Is Infectious
and Drives Behavior

Your
attitude is
the first thing people pick up on in
face-to-face communication.6
Just as laughing, yawning, and crying are infectious, attitude is
infectious. Before you say a word, your attitudes can infect the people
who see you with the same behavior. Somehow just by looking or feeling,
you can be infected by another person's attitude, and vice versa.
When you are operating from inside a really useful attitude, such as
enthusiasm, curiosity, and humility, your
body language tends to take care of itself and sends out
unmistakable signals of openness... More

Culture
is often at the root of communication challenges. Exploring historical
experiences and the ways in which various cultural groups have related
to each other is key to opening channels for
cross-cultural communication.
Becoming more aware of
cultural differences, as well as exploring cultural similarities,
can help you communicate with others more effectively. Next time you
find yourself in a confusing situation, ask yourself how culture may be
shaping your own reactions, and try to see the world from the other's
point of view...
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Perhaps the greatest single stumbling block to real communication is the
one-sided nature of speaking. Most of us think
of "communicating" as a one-way process. Two monologues do not make a dialogue,
however. Exchange between you and your targeted prospect is the key to effective
communication. So, listening is an active pursuit for selling your ideas.

Understanding the basic principles of how we communicate and why we
listen - what works, what doesn't, and why - starts you on the road to a
realistic appraisal of what you want to say and how you plan to say
it...

Be a team player.
The most valuable single factor that contributes towards high levels of
excellence and quality in a
team,
stem from an individual team member's ability to work with others, i.e.
his or her levels of cooperation and
communication. These "social intelligence" skills include the
ability to
persuade,
negotiate, compromise and make others feel important...

You can't multi-task speaking and
listening. If you're talking, you're not listening. This rule
also applies to the talking inside your head. If you're thinking
intently about what you want to say, you're not listening to
what is being said...

Be aware of biases and
perceptions.
Control your biases and validate your assumptions.

Encourage the speaker,
provide
feedback
and paraphrase to show you are listening...
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Socratic Questions

Socratic questioning is at the heart of critical thinking –
they enhance your critical thinking skills. Socratic questions
challenge accuracy and completeness of
thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their
ultimate goal...

No matter what you are, we are all in sales.
Selling
is a
transfer of emotions.
When you speak, do your listeners sense how strongly you believe in what
you're saying? If you want people to give you their undivided attention and
feel compelled to heed your advice, they must hear and see in you an
unwavering commitment to your message...